


Hidden Talents

by LIngall



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Universe - No Island, Cooking, Eventual Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Eventual Romance, F/M, Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon, Pie, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-05-28 01:51:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15038072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LIngall/pseuds/LIngall
Summary: Perfect, another Saturday morning ruined with a project planning meeting at the office. Oliver knew that the arrival of Walter Steele probably meant his department’s projections were over budget and he definitely wasn’t interested in any team building exercises. But maybe the arrival of one Felicity Smoak might just brighten his day after all.





	1. Team Building

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon: Hidden:

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver Queen was not easily intimidated. Well at least he could hide the fact that he was intimidated by someone’s business savvy quite well - to the point that few people would notice. His practiced smile easily threw most people off any line of questioning and easily hid any personal discomfort he felt in any situation in his personal life or in business.

At his father’s urging he had taken a variety of roles at Queen Consolidated after finishing his MBA. His latest stint was as VP of Marketing. It was the worst of all of his assignments. The department was filled with fresh college graduates who all seemed extremely excited to discuss every detail of their projects with him, in private. The most egregious offenders made no secret of their true intentions.

He wasn’t looking forward to today. Saturday - it was another in their series of special project meetings concerning the joint venture with Palmer Technologies. All the usual players were in the room. 

Oliver spotted a cute blond with glasses making her way into the conference room narrowly missing the swinging door. She grabbed an empty seat directly across from him at the table. 

_“Who is she?”_

_“And come to think of it, where is Palmer, he’s typically obnoxiously early. I never beat him here,”_ thought Oliver as he scanned the room again.

Next another surprise walked through the door, one Walter Steele the CFO. _“I don’t think I want to know why Walter is here. The projections must be really over budget - and it is probably all my fault.”_

“Good morning everyone. Let me thank you again for making time on the weekend to attend this very important project coordination meeting. I’m going to be lead us all in a team-building exercise before we hear a technology status update from Felicity Smoak.”

There was an audible groan throughout the room over the words ‘team-building’ exercise. Next everyone started to whisper about just who was Felicity Smoak. Heads were turning left and right to see who just might be this ‘Felicity Smoak’.

Walter looked in the direction of the blond women and said, “Felicity, could you introduce yourself to the group before we get started.”

The blonde sitting across from him rose from her seat and cleared her throat, “Good morning, I’m Felicity Smoak, I’m stepping into Ray’s shoes today, well, not his actual shoes, because well, who would want to step into someone else’s shoes, eww. “

A low rumble of laughter rounded the table. 

Walter caught Felicity’s eye and she paused and started again. “Well, I’m the VP of New Product Development at Palmer Technology. I’ll be sharing the technology status update - well Walter, uh Mr. Steele already told you that. Thanks and great to meet you.”

Felicity sat down abruptly and begin to type something on her tablet.

 _“Well, that was interesting,”_ thought Oliver. _“I am definitely not the most uncomfortable person in this room today. Maybe this team building exercise won’t be too bad after all.”_

“Our team building exercise today is called ‘Hidden Talents’. We’ve all been working together over the past three months, but how well do we really know each other? I’m confident that if we can all get to know each other a bit better it will allow us to be more open to ideas and generate solutions to the many technical challenges of the project. I’d like us to go around the room and share a hidden talent or skill with the group.”

There was another wave of whispers around the table.

“Well, Oliver, why don’t you start us off. Care to share your hidden talent with the group? Oh and let’s introduce ourselves and give our role in the organization for Ms. Smoak.”

So much for not feeling intimidated.

“Ok Walter, I’d be happy to start us off. I’m Oliver Queen and my current role is VP of Marketing. So, a hidden talent, that is a bit of a challenge Walter. “

Oliver felt twelve pairs of eyes trained on him as he racked his brain for an acceptable response to his question. 

“I enjoy baking. Well, I’m good at it too.” Oliver stammered, “My hidden talent is baking and my best dish is pie.”

Oliver wondered if it was only his imagination, or had all the women around the table simultaneously leaned in his direction, their mouths agape. 

“I love pie,” muttered Felicity below her breath.

“Thank you for getting us started Oliver,” added Walter. “Neal, why don’t you continue.” 

Neal was the Technical Project lead. Oliver watched as Felicity perked up as Neal talked about his hidden talent of building model rockets. _“How could that be a hidden talent? He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering for God's sake.”_

The assembled staff continued with introductions and hidden talents. He was surprised to find out that Amanda from finance loved salsa dancing and went to competitions up and down the West Coast with her boyfriend. To be honest he didn’t think that straight-laced Amanda had a boyfriend, let alone did salsa dancing. But along with the secret salsa dancers there were knitters and painters and others whose hidden talent was simply playing an instrument in their high school marching band. 

Who was he to talk, he barely made it through high school - let alone playing an instrument. 

The room was buzzing with numerous side conversations and was filled with energy. 

“Thank you all for sharing your hidden talents with us. Now we can move on to the technical presentation. Ms Smoak, I’ll give you the floor.”

“Thanks Mr. Steele. If you’ll all login to your project portal.”

A hand went up from the group, “Ms Smoak?”

“Yes Neal, do you have a question?”

“You didn’t share a hidden talent Ms. Smoak.”

“Oh, I guess I didn’t. But I’m not really a part of the project team. So let’s get started on the technology update.”

Walter looked in her direction, “Ms Smoak, we’d really like to hear about your hidden talent too.”

“Okay, if you insist.”

“So, I grew up in Vegas and my Mom worked in the gaming industry. That’s just a fancy name for the casinos to those of you here in Star City - away from the strip. Since she was working multiple jobs I frequently had to hang out at the casino after school. Bottom line, I can count cards.”

Neal chimed in, “Counting cards?”

“Have you heard the line, ‘Don’t bet against the House because they always win’ Neal?”

"No, I haven’t.”

“Well, that doesn’t apply to me. I will always win. And, I may possibly be banned from a large number of casinos. Moving on. Let’s start with the software report from our outside consultants who have been working on the beta testing of version 11.5.”

Oliver would normally be tuning out during Palmer’s project updates, but Felicity’s animated voice and mannerisms kept his attention. She had definitely made coming to the office on a Saturday worthwhile.

Oliver thought, _“How can I convince Palmer to send her to all the project meetings instead.”_ He knew it would be a tall order to sway Palmer, but it seemed like the best course of action. There was something about her…


	2. When One Door Closes Open a Window for Fresh Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt "Closed Door"
> 
> When a door closes you should really open a window for some fresh air. Oliver is well on his way to taking over his family company after closing the door on his former playboy lifestyle. His new role would mean more trips to Palmer Technologies and he hoped, a chance to meet up with Felicity Smoak once again. He would bet that she was just breath of fresh air his life needed.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver walked briskly through the marble floored lobby of Queen Consolidated. He waved hello to George at the main security desk and headed towards the executive elevator. Oliver was surprised how much he enjoyed to peace and quiet of the building early in the morning. After years of waking in the afternoon it felt good to arrive early and hit the ground running.

“Morning Janice, is my father in? I know I’m not on his schedule, but I figured it was early enough that I could catch him before he dug in for the day.”

“Of course Oliver, you know your father’s schedule is always open for you. He’s on a call with the London office. Do you mind having a seat for a few minutes until he wraps that up? It should only be a few minutes.”

Oliver plopped down in the chair beside Janice’s workstation and picked up the framed picture on her desk to get a closer look. “Sure thing Janice. How is you new granddaughter doing - is this a new picture?”

If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, the way to a grandma’s heart was to ask about her grandchildren. The time passed quickly as Janice regaled Oliver with her granddaughters’ latest tricks, pulling up a album full of pictures on her computer. 

Robert Queen finished his call and popped out of his office to see his son and EA leaning close together, chuckling as they looked a picture of Janice’s granddaughter covered in ice cream. “Well, look who’s here at the office. This is early, even for Oliver 2.0. What brings you to my office son?”

“Morning Dad, and I’ll have you know I’m in my office most days by 7:45 am, but this is extra early even for the new and improved me. I had something I wanted to discuss with you if you’ve got time,” Oliver said as he rose from his seat.

Robert Queen would never tire of seeing his son so engaged in the company business. These past few years since he’d finally closed the door on his playboy ways had made him so very proud. 

“Sure thing son, let’s talk. Janice, can you hold all my calls and push my 9 am meeting back if we’re not finished up by then.”

“Of course Mr. Queen. Good to see you Oliver.”

Oliver made his way into his Dad’s office and took at seat at small conference table that overlooked the city skyline. 

“So Oliver, what’s up. Is there a situation with the marketing team that you need my help with?”

“No Dad, all good. I just wanted to talk with you about accelerating the timeline of my rotations. With your agreement, I’d like to take over as the lead executive for our joint venture with Palmer Technologies, and once we launch I’d like to become acting COO. This would allow you to slow down a bit. I know Mom would like that. I’ve enjoyed my time in the department, but I think I’m ready to move on to the next challenge.”

_Well, that’s not the only reason. I’m hoping that this will mean a chance to meet up with Felicity from Palmer Tech again. But there is no need to mention that now._

“You continue to impress me with your dedication Oliver. All good reasons, you can definitely take over the lead on the joint venture, but I will need the board’s approval to move you to COO."

Robert rose and poked his head out of the door, “Janice, can you call Walter and see if he’s available to come up and meet with us.”

Walter joined them a short while later and the worked through a transition plan for Oliver’s new role. 

“Damn proud Oliver, you’ve really made your mark here at the company,” added Walter. “I think you should check in with Felicity Smoak over at Palmer. Remember, she was at our project session a few weekends ago.”

_Oh I remember. I am very anxious to meet up with her again._

“Yes, I think I remember her, didn’t she give the technical update, the day you asked everyone to share their hidden talents?”

“That’s right, Felicity will be a great resource. It is too bad that Palmer snatched her up before us. Maybe you can charm her and convince her to come to work for Queen Consolidated. Full scholarship to MIT, graduated summa cum laude with a double masters in Computer Sciences and Cyber Security at nineteen”

_Gulp. Nineteen?_

“That is amazing. How old is she Walter?”

Walter stood and shook Oliver’s hand, “I believe the ripe old age of 25. And you know Oliver, don’t hesitate to call on me for anything else you need as you get up to speed on the project. Congratulations and good luck.” 

“Thanks Walter, and you to Dad, for having faith in me. I’ll make an appointment with Ray to let him know about the changes in person and see if he can put me in contact with Felicity.” 

He could hardly believe how easy it was to convince them to go along with his plan. _“I guess actually coming in to work on time and not getting arrested for public intoxication every month really improves your credibility.”_

His father called out to him as he was leaving, “Oh and Oliver, don’t forget Raisa’s secret birthday party on Sunday afternoon. We’re counting on you to bring one of your famous pies for dessert.”

“I haven’t forgotten, I’m on it. I’m baking a test pie from one of her recipes this weekend. I’ll see you then Dad.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver was buzzing with excitement as he entered the lobby of Palmer Technologies and approached the security guard.

“Morning Sir. My name is Oliver Queen and I have…”

“Welcome Mr. Queen I see that you have an appointment with Mr. Palmer. I just got the alert on my smart wearable. Here’s your badge, take the blue elevator up to the Executive floor.”

_Wow, that was quick._

Once Oliver reached the top floor of the building he stepped out into an empty foyer. He looked around and knocked at the door to Ray’s office. There was no answer so he stepped through open door. The room was overflowing with disassembled equipment and computer, and tables covered in tools and parts. 

_How can he get anything done in here? I’m going to have a stroke with all the beeping and blinking._

The office looked empty. “Ray, are you in here? It’s Oliver.”

Ray Palmer popped out from behind a rack of equipment wearing an odd looking hat and what looked to be an artificial hand. He reached out to shake Oliver’s hand, “Good to see you Oliver,” and then realized what he was wearing, “Oh, sorry, I get so wrapped up in my projects. I forgot I was still wearing this.” He slipped the glove off his hand and placed it on an hand manikin in the center of the cluttered work table. 

“So Oliver what brings you by? Are you finally ready to take me up on my offer of a helicopter ride over the city?”

“No, Ray, maybe another time. I’m here to let you know that I’ve moved into a new role at Queen Consolidated, Acting COO. I’ll be taking over for Walter as the main point of contact for the joint venture rollout.”

“Well that will be just nifty Oliver. Congratulations. We should celebrate. Do you want to go to lunch? Wait, it's only 9am, too early for lunch. How about brunch?”

“Thanks for asking Ray, but I really just need someone to give me some guidance in understanding the final project milestones.”

“I can do that Oliver. How about tomorrow? I’m free all day.”

_Nope, tomorrow is Saturday, and I refuse to spend it with Ray Palmer._

“That is so kind of you Ray, but I was hoping that you could connect me with…”

Oliver turned as he heard someone enter the office. The very person’s name he was about to utter was coming through that door, not looking where she was going. She smashed squarely into Oliver’s chest. Felicity wobbled as she struggled to keep her balance. He reached out to anchor her with his hands.

“Ooof… Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” 

She looked up and smiled for a brief second and then frowned as she realized who it was that she had crashed into.

“Mr Queen. I didn’t see you there.” 

Their position was strangely intimate with her hands on his chest and his hands on her shoulders. In a different setting they could be slow dancing. 

“Please, call me Oliver, it's really nice to see you again Felicity.”

Before she could move out of his grasp, a tall black man barrelled through the door behind her.

“Felicity, why didn’t you wait for…”

And in the next moment the man bumped into Felicity, which pushed her yet again solidly into Oliver’s chest.

“Sorry, again.” Felicity slid her hands up Oliver’s chest, and muttered, “boy you’re solid under this suit.” She regained her composure and took a large step backward to remove herself from their awkward embrace.

Ray chimed in, “Felicity, great, you’re here, Oliver was just telling me he’s the new acting COO at Queen Consolidated, very exciting, but a bit unnerving since we are so close to the product rollout.”

“Okay Ray, I’ll take care of upgrading his access on the project portal,” answered Felicity.

“Cool. After I get Oliver his new access badge and give him a quick tour of the R&D lab I thought you could check in with him on the deliverables, for the rollout. He’s you new point of contact.”

_Why does she look so surprised. I’m pretty adept at technology. I didn’t even talk that much at the last project meeting. Obviously my reputation precedes me._

“I’ll show Oliver to your office once we’re done.”

“Ray, I really don’t need a tour right now, can’t I just talk with Felicity now?”

“Don’t be silly Oliver, I don’t mind giving you the tour myself.” 

_There would be no escape._

Ray slung his arm around Oliver’s shoulders and walked him toward the elevator. Before the doors closed Oliver was able to catch one more glimpse of Felicity. She was smiling and gave him an odd wave as if she knew how he felt being dragged off by Ray Palmer for a boondoggle tour. 

Now that they were alone, Curtis turned to Felicity and said, “why didn’t you tell me you knew Oliver Queen? Let me just say, the pictures DO NOT do him justice. He is so tall and damn, he fills out his suit in all the right places.”

“I hadn’t noticed. Well, of course I noticed when I was pressed up against him just now. But I don’t know him Curtis. I only met him once at a project meeting a few weeks back. We didn’t even speak, well not to each other. Can you believe that he bakes? Apparently his specialty is pie.”

“A man that can cook, that’s someone to bring home to Momma.”

Felicity laughed, “As if Curtis. I’ll just be emailing him about the project milestones, there is no way he actually wants to spend any time with me.”

“Well he did seem happy to see you just now. Could you tell if he was really HAPPY to see you when you bumped into him?”

“Curtis!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter did not have much Olicity, sorry. Hang in there. I really enjoyed Ray Palmer as a character in the show. Well, at least until he got into a relationship with Felicity - it was a necessary evil. They needed his jet to get to Nanda Parbat after all, and we all know how well that turned out for our couple. In the next chapter Oliver and Felicity will start working together and getting to know one another. Sparks will fly over some freshly baked pie - hey, that rhymes. Thanks for reading.


	3. Food for Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver returns from his tour of Palmer Tech to finally catch up with Felicity. If he could only focus on the task at hand. Felicity is quite a distraction. Will Oliver man up and ask her what he’s been dying to know?

>>>>\----------------------->>

As luck would have it Ray was called away to an important phone call that shortened the grand tour. Oliver had been ready to feign a sudden illness before his reprieve. Ray had pointed him in the direction of Felicity’s office.

He was nervous. Oliver stood in front of the door willing his hand to knock.

_What do I have to be nervous about?_

He knocked once, then a second time, and there was still no answer. “Felicity, um, It’s Oliver Queen, may I come in?”

After the third and final knock he grabbed the handle and slowly eased the door open. What a sharp contrast to Ray’s space. Everything was neat and orderly. The blinds were open and light was streaming into the space. Felicity was standing beside her desk, illuminated by the bright sunshine. 

_No wonder she didn’t hear me knock, she’s wearing earphones._

Felicity must have spotted whatever she was looking for, she moved closer to the shelf and rose up on her toes to attempt to reach something at the very top. She slowly maneuvered one large bin out of the way and reached higher. 

_You shouldn’t be standing here watching her. It’s creepy._

In slow motion, the large bin she had just moved shifted and began to slide out of the shelf toward her head. Without thinking Oliver closed the space between them and reached up to catch the bin and push it back into place on the shelf. He grabbed Felicity’s arm with his free hand to steady her. She flinched at the sudden contact and turned around with a look of surprise to again find herself chest to chest with one Oliver Queen.

Felicity flushed as pulled out her earbuds, “Oliver, what are you doing here?” 

_I thought she was taller._

“Thanks for catching that bin before it fell on my head. I’d hate to have to fill out another incident report for my own injury,” she smiled, “The head of HR joked that if I got 3 in one month they’d need to send me to remedial safety class.”

Realizing again that they were standing in very close proximity Felicity said, “We’re going to have to stop meeting like this. Oh, I know we’ll need to meet about the project, but I will have to stop bumping into you, like literally bumping into you all the time.”

“You can bump into me anytime you’d like Felicity.”

_Focus Queen, this is business, you shouldn’t be telling her you enjoy having her bump into you, even if you in fact did enjoy it._

Felicity cocked her head to the side, “Okay.” She took a step back to her desk and slipped on her shoes. “I thought Ray was taking you on a grand tour. I figured it might be weeks before you were seen again.”

Oliver chuckled, “luckily Ray got called away so we had to end our tour early. I’m here to review the project milestones, that is if that still works in your schedule.”

“Of course. I was looking for my spare tablet. Figured it would be easier for you to have a fully configured device to access the portal. Curtis is always putting things on the top shelf, stupid tall people. Would you mind grabbing it from the bookshelf?”

Felicity pulled out the top folder from the stack on the conference table and logged into the laptop. “Let’s start an overview of the milestones between now and the launch, then I’ll show you how to access everything through the portal, using the tablet.”

With their close proximity Oliver indulged himself in the opportunity to admire her up close. He’d known she was attractive after their first meeting, but up close she was breathtaking. Oliver struggled to focus. He strained to keep his eyes on the laptop. His eyes kept wandering to her lips, and down her neck and…

“As you can see we’re on track to meet our projections, with a bit of wiggle room at the end. Any questions?”

“No, it makes sense. This project a great match for the strengths of both Queen Consolidated and Palmer Tech. We’ve got the manufacturing expertise and supply chain, you’ve got the technical talent and venture capital.”

“Yes, that is exactly right. Talking just like a COO.”

_Good job Queen, maybe you’ve impressed her a bit._

The time passed quickly and soon the conversation slowly shifted towards more personal topics. 

“Have you always been interested in technology?”

“I’ve always been fascinated by how things work. My Mom though was not pleased. I took everything apart, and many times I couldn’t get things put back together.”

“What about you, did you always know you wanted to work at your family’s company?”

“That would be a no. I took the long way around. Luckily my family was supportive when I finally decided to buckle down and complete college. I’m very grateful.”

Felicity smiled softly, “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

_Oliver was smitten. She said such kind things. He couldn’t help himself, he was grinning back at her like an idiot._

With a loud rumbling sound, Felicity’s stomach alerted them to arrival of lunchtime. “Hungry?” he asked. “It is after 1 pm. Can I take you to lunch? Or we could order in, I know there is more to review.”

“Lunch would be great. I know a great deli, close by. They have great pie.”

After a short walk they arrived at the _Chat and Chew Deli_ and slid into an open both along the front of the deli near the windows. Oliver pulled out the menu and handed one to Felicity.

“Don’t need it, I always order the same thing, Reuben on Rye with extra cheese and pickles, and of course pie. I typically get the special.”

Oliver scanned the menu and decided it was best to get the same thing as Felicity to save time. The waitress was headed there way, “Hey Felicity. It's been awhile, how have you been? Will you be having your usual?” as she placed two glasses of ice water on the table. 

“Yes Tina, and a cup of coffee please.”

“And for you handsome?”

Felicity laughed and Oliver looked up in shock, “I’ll have the same, except just water for me. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, she calls every man in here handsome. Well you are handsome. And not just relative to all the senior citizens in here. You do stand out.” Felicity stopped her babble by taking a long drink from her water glass. 

“Good to know that you think I’m handsome Felicity.”

Felicity choked on her water.

“She called me sweetie for months until I insisted she call me by my real name.”

With the awkward moment behind them Oliver and Felicity fell back into an easy banter. Soon their food was delivered. Felicity grabbed her paper wrapped sandwich oozing with cheese with both hands and took a hug bite. She closed her eyes and groaned. “Oh baby, it has been too long. I’ve missed you.”

Now it was Oliver’s turn to choke as he watched Felicity enjoy her sandwich. She licked her fingers between each bite.

_Oliver froze, he could not stop looking at her mouth. He was jealous of a sandwich._

She looked up, “aren’t you going to eat?” 

He took a hefty bite of his sandwich.

“I told you this place was great. I’d eat here every day, but I know that wouldn’t be a good idea. Remember to save room for the pie.”

Awhile later Tina returned to refill their drinks, “So, did you save room for dessert?”

“You know I did Tina. What’s the special today?”

“Felicity, you are in luck, the special is French Silk today. Should I bring you a slice? We have mint chocolate chip ice cream too.”

“Yes please.”

“And for you…”

“Nothing for me, thanks.”

“Oliver, if you think I am going to share my pie, you are sadly mistaken.”

_Why couldn’t he stop grinning. Everything she did made him want to jump across the table and kiss her senseless._

“Okay, okay. No sharing. What are the other options?” 

“We have apple and cherry every day, the cherry pie has a crumb topping today.”

“Cherry.”

“Coming right up... handsome.”

Oliver shook his head at Tina’s remark, “not to talk shop, but how much more do we have to review when we get back? I may need a nap after all this food.”

“We should probably review the full schedule and action items for the launch. But we’ve still got three months, it can wait. I’ve probably bored you to tears already.”

Oliver was just about the refute her assumption when his phone rang. Thea was calling. “Excuse me a moment. I need to take this.”

He turned in the booth so he was facing away from Felicity. 

“Thea, what’s up?”

_“Hey Oliver, where are you? I stopped by your office and they said you’ve been out all day.”_

“I had a business meeting at Palmer Tech.”

_“And congratulations by the way, COO, I’m impressed. So I guess I’ll see you on Sunday.”_

“Yes you will. I really can’t talk now, I need to get back to my lunch date. Bye Speedy.”

_“Date. Oliver, what date?”_

Oliver hung up the phone. You had to use the word date, didn’t you. He knew that Thea would not let this go. 

When their dessert arrived, Felicity dug in with gusto. “Mmm, I love pie.”

“This is...” Oliver choked out, his mouth overflowing with cherries and crumb topping. 

“Perfect, I know. You bake, what do you think? Isn’t it the best you've ever had?”

“You’ve never tried mine.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

“Thanks for lunch Oliver.”

“It was my pleasure. So what’s next on our agenda?”

“As it turns out I’ve got few urgent emails to handle, would you mind if we continued this another time. I’m sure we can coordinate the remainder of the work via email. No need to meet in person.”

“Felicity, I don’t…”

Felicity moved to the credenza along the wall and picked up a pile of folders and walked it over to Oliver. “Homework. I know I said everything was on the portal, but there are a few background reports that you might find helpful - they’re easier to read on paper.”

“I’ve sent you my contact info via email, with my personal cell, call me anytime. Well not anytime, you know, but I’m available, “ Felicity paused. 

“Glad to know you’re available Felicity. Thank you so much. I’m on track now. Have a good weekend.” 

“Goodbye Oliver. Same to you.” 

_He was running out of options. He couldn’t delay her any further, it was time to man up._

“Felicity, you like pie, and um, I’m testing out a new recipe this weekend, um I’m a bit worried since it is a new recipe, it’s for a birthday party, and I could use some help, um....”

He stopped talking and paused, looking at her expectantly. 

“Huh? Was there a question in there somewhere Oliver?”

_He swallowed. This wasn’t hard, just ask her._

“Would you be available to taste test my pie, tomorrow afternoon, that is if you’re available?”

He smiled and tried not to look too anxious as he awaited her response. 

“Will there be coffee?”

“Of course.”

“Count me in. Happy to help. Just text me the time and address. That will give you time to read the background reports and see if you have questions.”

“I’ll text you as soon as I’m back to the office. See you tomorrow Felicity.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Oliver was out the door.

Once he had left Felicity pondered, “What was that? geez, you’d think he was trying to ask me on a date or something."

“Nah, can’t be, or could it. No.”

She typed a quick IM to Curtis. “Got a minute - need your advice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had most of this written before the next hiatus prompt was out, so this won’t fit the weekly prompt. Things are moving slowly for our couple, but soon both Thea and Curtis will be helping them get on track. I appreciate your patience as the story gets going. Next up, the non-date date, and of course more pie. I’m hungry writing about all this food.


	4. Morning, Noon and [Date] Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon Prompt: Surrounded
> 
> When you are surrounded by confusion it’s best to seek out the wise counsel of family and friends. Oliver thinks he’s got a date. Felicity, she's not so sure why Oliver has invited her over. Can Curtis and Thea set them both straight?

>>>>\----------------------->>

“So let me get this straight. You had a meeting, then he invited you to lunch, and then as he was leaving he asked you to come over to his house and taste test a new pie recipe, on a weekend?” asked Curtis as he paced back and forth in front of Felicity’s desk.

“Yes, that about sums it up, just like the last three times you said it,” commented Felicity, “But Curtis, what do you think he meant? Was it a, ‘I’ve got more questions about the joint venture so stop by,’ or was it ‘I’d really like to see you again, so stop by?’”

“Has he sent you the text with the address and time yet?”

“No, not yet. It must have been a mistake. That makes the most sense.”

A ringing phone demanded attention. “Crap, it’s Ray again, he’s called three times in the last hour, I better answer.”

“Felicity Smoak speaking. Oh Ray, hi. Yes, I’m still here, but I was about to head out shortly. No, Oliver Queen isn’t still here, he left a couple of hours ago. Yes, we reviewed most of the project. Yes, I’ll follow up with an email and confirm the next meeting. Ok, we can host it here. No Ray, I don’t know where you left your power glove,” Felicity covered the receiver with her hand and whispered to Curtis, ‘He loses everything,’ “Yes, I’ll look around. Have a good weekend too. Bye Ray.”

“Still Felicity, he took you to lunch, did he flirt with you?”

“No, well, at least I don’t think so, no worries Curtis, sorry to get your hopes up of inviting me and my potential new boyfriend over for dinner. “

Her phone buzzed. It was a text alert.

“Was that your phone?”

“Yes.”

“Why aren’t you checking - it could be the text from Oliver.”

“It isn’t, I know it isn’t. I’d rather not look. It was silly of me to get my hopes up.”

“Give me your phone - I’ll look.”

“No.”

“Come on Felicity, aren’t you the least bit curious?”

“I’m surrounded by all these conflicting messages. It has been such a strange day. I just need the weekend to get back on track. I’ll just look and get this over with.”

Felicity turned her phone over and read the text. She placed the phone back on her desk. Obviously confused by the message, she picked it up again and frowned at the screen.

“Sorry Felicity, I thought for sure it would be from Oliver.”

“But Curtis, it is from Oliver.”

“What does it say?” She turned the phone to Curtis and he read the text aloud, "Hey Felicity, Thx for all your help today, feeling better about the project. Looking forward to seeing you 2moro, 3pm - 4578 Redwood Dr, Unit 2B. Bring your appetite. OQ”

“Bring your appetite?”

>>>>\----------------------->>

“So, you texted her to confirm your invitation and her reply was ‘K’, nothing else, that seems odd Oliver.”

“I know Thea, I thought she was interested, I thought we really hit it off at lunch, but I guess I was wrong.”

Oliver enjoyed his and Thea’s regular Saturday morning coffee meetup. They both could attest that it was a huge improvement from the gatherings in their younger years. Back then they met for hangover brunch that was never before noon. 

“Wait, is this the same person you had lunch with yesterday when I called? Your lunch DATE?”

“Yes, but lunch wasn’t a date, it was just lunch.”

“But you used the word ‘date’, you wanted it to be a date, didn’t you?” Thea smirked. 

Thea was like a dog with a bone. Oliver covered his face with his hands. 

“So when do I get to meet her?”

“Thea,”

“Okay, okay. Oliver, can I just see the text? Please. I am much more adept at social media than you. Let me help you figure this out.”

“Thea, no worries. I’ve got to bake the pie for Raisa’s birthday celebration whether or not she comes over. I’m a big boy, I can handle rejection.”

“Yesterday felt like a turning point in my life. Up until now I've been surrounded by people who think they know who I am but they don’t. Most of them haven’t forgotten who I used to be. She’s different Thea. She treats me like, she treats me like I'm a worthwhile person.”

“Who happens to be the COO of Queen Consolidated, a Fortune 500 company. Don’t sell yourself short bro. Now, give me your phone.” 

Oliver hesitated as Thea held out her hand, “The phone, please.”

Oliver scrolled down and found the text he had sent to Felicity the previous day, and then handed his phone to his sister.

“Well, that explains it.”

“What? My text was fine.”

“Yes brother dear, it was fine. If you were inviting Mom over, but not a girl you are trying to ask out on a date. I have so much work to do.”

“You think I should I text her again?”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Clothes were strewn everywhere. Felicity had pulled most of her potential outfits for the, date, but maybe not a date, from her closet for review with Curtis over facetime.

“Curtis, this is too hard. What do you mean that I need to look dressed up, but casual? Flirty, not trashy. Why am I doing this again? It’s got to be a business thing, a favor,” as she spoke to Curtis’s image in her phone. 

“You are doing this because that very hot man invited you over to his place. He’s cooking for you. You owe it to yourself to see what happens. What is the worst that could happen? I say you need to step up your game Smoak,” Curtis replied.

Felicity groaned, “The worst that could happen. Well, for starters, he just wants to ask me more questions about the project or maybe this is just to thank me for helping him. Then I show up all casual, but dressed up and flirty and boom it crashes and burns when his place is filled with pictures of him and his supermodel girlfriend.”

“Calm down. Let it go and focus on what you are going to wear.”

“Okay, I think my best bet is the skinny jeans, with boots, and my pink button down. I look good in pink, right?” as she held up the pink button down in front of her t-shirt. 

“Paul, what do you think?” Curtis called to his spouse who was off screen.

“Looks good to me.” 

“Are we done here? I need to clean up this mountain of clothes or I won’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.”

Felicity looked up at her phone to see Curtis grinning, “Don’t even say it. I know you are thinking it. I’m hanging up now. See you on Monday.”

“Wait Felicity, just one more thing. You’re going to wear your hair down, aren’t you?”

“Ugh, really.”

“Trust me, you’ll thank me once Oliver is running his hands…”

“Enough Curtis. Bye.”

Felicity ended the call and flopped down on the mound of clothes on her bed. “Well, I guess I have to take another shower, thanks Curtis. This is going to be such a huge waste of time. Good thing there will be food.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Felicity wasn’t sure what to expect as she parked her car on the street and walked up the stone path to Oliver’s townhouse. To be honest, it was a bit more understated than she expected for Oliver Queen, he was a billionaire after all.

“Here goes nothing.”

She peered through the frosted sidelight windows. “At least it looks like someone is home.” Felicity held her breath and pressed the doorbell.

Oliver opened the door. 

"Felicity. You're here. Hmm, you look nice.”

_Really, that’s all you got, you look nice?_

“So glad you could make it, come on in.” Oliver stepped aside to wave her into the foyer. Felicity followed the aroma which led to the kitchen where she could see two pies cooling on the center island. 

"They smell heavenly. What kind of pie is it?”

“Sour cream and raisin.”

Felicity frowned, “that sounds like a really odd combination.”

“You’ll have to trust me, Felicity. I used an old family recipe. I promise it will taste great. Well I hope it will. That’s why you’re here, to test out for me. I just pulled them out of the oven, so they need some time to cool. Would you like some coffee while we wait?”

“Sure.”

"How do you take your coffee, cream and sugar?"

"Yes please.

Oliver busied himself preparing the coffee and Felicity moved into living space that was just beyond the kitchen. Her eyes drifted to all the artfully hung photographs that adorned the wall. She paused to study a family portrait featuring Oliver wearing his cap and gown, surrounded by his family. Immediately to the right was a picture of Oliver and a young woman, both with wide smiles taken in what looked to be a tropical location.

“There’s the girlfriend,” Felicity muttered to herself, her shoulders slumping.

“That’s my favorite picture of Thea and I.”

“You make a beautiful couple.”

“Couple, no. Thea is my sister.”

“Oh.”

“Here’s your coffee, what don’t we go out on the back deck.” Oliver passed her a steaming mug and ushered her towards the french doors at the back of the room.

“What a beautiful view.” 

_Oh yeah, a very beautiful view. You took the words out of my mouth Felicity._

“Yes, yes it is. I enjoy the peace and quiet most of all.”

Felicity stepped up to the back railing and Oliver joined her. “Oliver, have you had time to review any of the project materials I gave you? I figured you must have some questions.”

“I’ve started reading them, but no, no questions so far.”

The breeze picked up as the sun slipped behind a cloud. Felicity shivered. “I’ll be right back.” Oliver popped back into the house and returned a moment later carrying a fluffy green afghan. He wrapped it snugly around Felicity’s shoulders. 

"Better? You looked a bit chilly.” 

“Yes, thank you.”

Next he moved alongside Felicity at the railing and let his arm lean up against hers. 

Another gust of wind blew sent Felicity’s hair swirling around her face. She laughed and pulled it back into a temporary ponytail with one of her hands. “This is why I should have worn a ponytail. Star City is so windy all the time.”

“We should probably head back inside, I bet the pie is cool enough to eat by now.” 

By the time Felicity had pulled off the afghan, folded it and laid it over the arm of the couch Oliver had returned with two plates. They sat down on the couch and he passed her a plate.

“Are you sure I’m going to like this?”

“I am confident you will. Raisa’s recipes are always fool-proof.”

Oliver held his breath as Felicity took a bite. She closed her eyes and murmured something he couldn’t quite make out. “So, what’s the verdict Felicity?”

“I don’t know how to describe it, it's tangy, but sweet and creamy. Its almost like caramel. Great job. A plus to you.”

Oliver broke out into a wide grin. “Phew, I was worried there for a minute.”

He dug into his pie too, and they fell into easy conversation. Oliver mentioned Raisa’s surprise birthday party, which wouldn’t really be a surprise. He knew his Mom would take her out shopping so that they could have a big reveal on their return. Raisa knew everything that went on in their house, but she never let on that she knew about any of her many ‘surprise’ birthday dinners they had over the years. 

Feeling more confident Oliver inched closer to Felicity as he placed his plate on the coffee table. 

_Remember what Thea said, ‘Don’t sell yourself short.’_

He slid closer still, until their legs were touching. Oliver reached out to take her hand, intertwined their fingers, and lifted them to his lips.

Surprised by his gesture, she asked, “you don’t have any questions about the project, do you?”

“No,” he leaned closer. 

“You meant to ask me over for a date?”

“Yes,” he leaned even closer. Felicity eyes went wide with realization.

He lifted his hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb across her lips. Felicity’s eyes fluttered closed. 

Oliver closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers gently. Seeking permission to kiss her again, he released her lips to meet her now open eyes. 

She was smiling. 

This was all the permission he needed. He dug both hands into her hair and captured her mouth possessively. Felicity reached her own hands up to encircle his neck and pull him even closer.

In a practiced move he pushed forward, pressing her body down into the couch as his other hand skimmed up her leg to palm her ass. 

Felicity squeaked in surprise. 

Oliver kissed along her jaw to reach her ear, eliciting another gasp from Felicity. He moved down to her neck and then back up to capture her lips again. 

_He was on auto-pilot. And then it dawned on him. He was moving too fast. But damn, it felt good and she seemed to be enjoying it too._

Oliver stilled and peeled himself from their embrace. He offered Felicity a hand and pulled her up as well.

Felicity was beautifully flushed and it took all of his self-control not to pull her into his lap and continue what they had started. 

“I know this is all happening pretty fast, but just so there is no confusion, I like you Felicity, and I’d love the chance to get to know you better, outside of the project we’re working on together. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

She nodded, “when?”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver arrived promptly at 5 pm on Sunday afternoon at his parent’s home, pie in hand, for the birthday festivities. Soon he was standing in the darkened dining room, along with his Dad and sister waiting for the arrival of the guest of honor.

It wasn't long before they heard their approach. Moira turned on the lights and on cue he shouted, ‘surprise’ along with the others.

They all sat down to enjoy their dinner, and the special dessert courtesy of Oliver.

After the meal, Raisa enveloped him in a tight hug. “Thank you for the pie, that was very sweet of you to bake that for me.”

Thea stepped up and slid her arm around his waist, “so Ollie, does that big smile on your face mean that your girl showed yesterday despite your abysmal dating skills?” 

“Date?” questioned Raisa. “You did not tell me you were seeing someone Oliver.”

“Thea”

“Don’t worry Raisa, I’m on it. Once I meet her I will fill you in on all the details. Won’t be long before I meet her. Ollie hasn’t smiled like this in years. So, when are you going to see her again Ollie?”

“Next Saturday, for dinner.”

Thea was right, he hadn’t felt so happy and optimistic about his future in a very long time. He could handle all the teasing she could dish out today, nothing could spoil his excellent mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now both of them are on the same page! I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out. I've got the rest of the story outlined as well. I'm off on a family vacation in a few days so I'm not sure when the next update will be. Let me know if you spot any mistakes or if the flow of the chapter does not make sense - or any other comments you'd like to share. Thanks for reading and following the story.


	5. High Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt "Caught in the Middle"
> 
> Everyone has high expectations when it comes to a first date. Oliver is no exception. He’s picked a quiet restaurant with great food. Before he knows it he's caught in the middle of others expectations for his first date. Who’s date is this anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting for the chapter update - I had a wonderful relaxing vacation with my family. This chapter is a bit short, but I didn't want to wait. More coming soon.

>>>>\----------------------->>

“Speedy, I told you, It’s just dinner, I’m taking her to that Italian place down by the water. The food is great and it will be quiet. Off the beaten track.”

_“Ollie, really. Don’t you want to impress her? You should make a reservation at Table Salt. Or better yet, invite her over to your place and cook her dinner.”_

Oliver scrunched his eyes as he listened to his sister ramble on about the need to impress Felicity on their first date. He just knew that Felicity would not be impressed by a fancy restaurant meal. The idea of cooking her dinner was tempting, too tempting in so many ways. 

“Thea, I need to get back to work. I promise I’ll think about what you said. Talk to you soon.”

_“Okay Ollie, that’s all I ask, think about it. I can’t wait to hear all about the date next week.”_

Thea had suggested, well, informed him that they should get together for lunch on Monday instead of their normal coffee meet up so she would hear all about their date. _“Grill me, more like it.”_

Oliver leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes again and thought, _“She’s probably right, I should take her somewhere elegant, refined.”_

Oliver’s phone rang again, and for a minute he was worried it was Thea calling back to push her first date agenda. He was in luck, it was only Tommy.

“Hey Tommy, what’s up. And for that matter what are you doing up at this early hour.”

_“Ollie, just because I run a nightclub doesn’t mean that I always sleep in late. This is a business call.”_

‘A business call?”

_“Yes, Ollie, It pains me that you’ve already forgotten our discussion.”_

Oliver racked his brain to remember what Tommy was talking about. _“Between this new job and thinking about my date with Felicity I am really not paying attention.”_

“How about you refresh my memory Tommy.”

_“Remember, you said you would make some time to check out the club and talk marketing strategy, this weekend. I want to hear more about how my business is, didn’t you say, ‘uniquely suited for video marketing’. Well and of course catch up with Laurel and I, have a few drinks. Saturday night.”_

Now he remembered. Tommy didn’t even know that he had taken on the new position at the company, and now he had a date that he was definitely not going to cancel. It was time to punt.

“Yeah, Saturday night. I remember. Look Tommy, something’s come up. I won’t be able to make it on Saturday. Can we reschedule?”

_“Something’s come up, what the hell does that mean? Please don’t tell me you’ll be working all weekend.”_

“No, its not work, although I have taken a new position, I’m acting COO, I’m really trying to focus on our joint venture project with Palmer Tech.”

_“Geez Ollie, do you have to spend the weekend working with that Palmer guy that you told me about?”_

“No, not exactly. I have a date.” 

_“A date? Woo Boy, that is so good to hear. Back in the saddle my friend. Hey, why don’t you bring her by Verdant on Saturday. I’d love to meet her. I know Laurel would too.”_

“I don’t think so Tommy. It’s our first date, I don’t think a club would be the best choice. I’m going to take her to that Italian place down by the waterfront. The food is great, and everybody likes Italian, right.” 

_“Buddy, you are so out of practice, Verdant would be the perfect place for a first date, booze, dancing, and lots of dark corners. You know as my silent partner I can hook you up with the one of the best tables in the club.”_

“Thanks Tommy, I promise I’ll think about what you said, that would be fun. I’ve got to get back to work. Talk to you soon.” 

_“Soon my man. Just text if you want me to reserve a table in the VIP section for you, is it Saturday night, right?"_

“Yes, Saturday. Go ahead and reserve a table, just in case. Thanks Tommy.” 

_“I've got you covered, what are friends for. Hope to see you Saturday.”_

Tommy was right, the club would be fun and there would be booze to loosen things up. The dark corners, that was both a pro and a con. _“That just doesn’t seem right for a first date.”_ Felicity doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to be dazzled by someone flashing wads of cash in a trendy nightclub, but you never know, she’s young, maybe a night clubbing would be right up her alley.

>>>>\----------------------->>

They were here. Sitting at the table. Staring at each other. The uncommonly attentive staff seemed to sense each time they would initiate conversation with one another and immediately approach to check on how thing were going or refill their water glasses.

_"If one more person stops by this table before our food arrives I will…”_

Before Oliver could complete his thought, the Maitre d arrived at their table, “Mr. Queen, I do hope you are well this evening. The Sommelier wanted me to inform you that he’s found your selection, but he’ll be just a few moments while he decants the wine. The Cabernet's need to breathe... It should only be a few more minutes. We so appreciate you joining us here this evening.” 

“Fine. Thank you, Nicholas,” Oliver practically grunted in response. “We’re in no hurry. Tell him to take his time,” he added with emphasis, looking the man straight in the eye. 

“Of course Mr. Queen. I’ll leave you and your dinner companion to your conversation.” 

Felicity added, “Finally. I said that out loud, didn’t I. I’m sorry, I just get the feeling like the staff doesn’t want us to talk to each other, like it will screw with their quiet ambience.” 

Oliver grinned, “I completely agree. Can I tell you something Felicity?” 

“Of course.” 

“I didn’t really want to take you here for dinner.” 

Felicity frowned, “I’m confused, why are we here if you didn’t want to take me to dinner Oliver?.” 

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I had a different restaurant in mind. There is this great Italian place down by the waterfront...” 

Felicity finished his sentence, “Cafe Bellissimo.” 

Oliver grinned broadly, “You know it. They make the best baked ziti.” 

“I love Italian.” 

“I know, doesn’t everybody. How about we get out of here and get some real food? I’m starving and I’m really not in the mood for sea bass and quinoa.” 

Felicity stood from her chair, “You don’t need to ask me twice, let’s go.” 

Oliver rose as well and dropped the starched white napkin from his lap onto the table. He grabbed Felicity’s hand and ushered them past the gaping wait staff and stunned Sommelier holding a decanter of red wine. He paused as he reached the Maitre D, and pulled two crisp one hundred dollar bills from his billfold, “This should cover it, if not, call my office on Monday and I’ll take care of any balance.” 

Leaving the man speechless, Oliver and Felicity hurried out of the front door of his establishment. A quick stop at the valet and they were on their way towards the waterfront. 

“I hope we can get a table, it is Saturday night, maybe you should just bring me home Oliver. We can try again next weekend.” 

“Have faith Felicity. I know they’ll have a free table." 

Oliver pulled into a parking space and hopped out quickly to circle the car and open Felicity’s door, “Ms. Smoak.” 

Felicity blushed and slid her hand into his as he helped her out of the car. Oliver stepped alongside Felicity as they walked towards Cafe Bellissimo. Things were finally back on track. High expectations, here we come. 


	6. Jackpot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a successful dinner date Oliver and Felicity struggle to find time in their busy schedules to squeeze in a second date. Once the joint venture launch is complete they finally find some time, and hit the jackpot.

>>>>\----------------------->>

“How far is it to the car?”

“No valet here, but it’s just a short distance. Do you want to wait here? I can go get the car and pick you up.”

Felicity groaned, “I am so full.”

“You said you NEEDED to eat my last ziti. I warned you to save room for the cannoli.”

“I know, I may be entering a food coma, you may have to carry me.” Oliver moved to hoist her into his arms, “Wait, no, I wasn’t serious.”

“Okay. I just hate to be responsible for you sliding into a food coma and injuring yourself.”

Felicity laughed, “Very funny, but you are responsible Oliver. Coming here was your idea. An excellent idea I might add,” as she bumped into him playfully. 

The dinner had been perfect. They arrived just in time to grab the last table out on the patio overlooking the harbor. The view was amazing with the sun setting over the water. The staff let them linger over coffee as they cleaned up the nearby tables. 

Oliver was carefully carrying a bright pink box which held the prize cannoli that Felicity had requested to enjoy tomorrow. He had marveled at how she ate her dinner with gusto. _“You need to remember she likes red wine, and cannoli for when you cook her dinner.”_

After a short walk they reached the car and Oliver handed her the box so he could open the door of the car. He held the door for her and his eyes moved down her body as she slid into the smooth leather seat. The slit of her dress opened revealing an expansive section of her thigh as she maneuvered into the seat.

Not wanting to continue gawking he stepped back to close the door softly. The drive back to Felicity’s apartment was quite short and Oliver was sad when he pulled up in front of her building. 

Felicity moved to exit the car, but Oliver grabbed her hand, “Felicity, hold on a second. I’ve got something for you.”

He reached behind his seat to pull out a small box tied with a ribbon.

“Here you go. Open it.” said Oliver as he handed her the box.

Felicity smiled, but hesitated, “You didn’t need to get me anything. Dinner, and my extra cannoli are quite enough.”

“Humor me.”

She pulled the red ribbon from the box and opened it to reveal a navy blue stress ball. “Is this a stress ball?” questioned Felicity as she turned it over in her hands. 

“Yes, it has both the company logos, we created a bunch of promo items for the joint venture when I was heading up the marketing team.”

“Great, thanks.”

_“Ok Queen, you got the restaurant right, but not the corny post date gift. You’ll just have to send her some flowers next week to make up for this,”_ he thought.

“That’s very sweet of you Oliver, I can always use another tool to release my stress,” said Felicity as she blushed a bit and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Oliver was at an odd angle and she caught the corner of his mouth instead. Surprised, Felicity began to pull away, but Oliver turned towards her and reached up to cradle her face.

“Felicity,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to hers and then shifted again so he could deepen the kiss. Before long they were both breathless. Oliver stroked his thumb across her lips. 

“I guess I should walk you to your door.”

Felicity nodded, unable to say a word. Oliver hopped out of the car once again to help her out of the car. They walked hand in hand up to her door. 

Felicity pulled out her keys and said softly, “Would you like to come in?”

Oliver paused willing himself to think before answering. _Yes, I would really like to come in and stay to cook you breakfast tomorrow morning._

He leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss, “Thank you for the invitation, but I should probably head home.”

“Oh, okay” said Felicity, looking a bit deflated. 

“Felicity, you’ve got to know that I really want to come in. But if I do, well, just like I said last weekend...”

She smiled, “I know. Dinner was perfect Oliver, thank you again.” 

“Goodnight Felicity, I’ll see you again soon,” and he turned to walk back to his car. 

_That was a pitiful goodbye._

He stopped and then spun around to race back to a very startled Felicity. Oliver swept her into his arms for a toe-curling kiss. The pair clung to one another while they caught their breath.

“Wow, that was quite a goodnight kiss. I said that out loud, didn’t I,” added Felicity.

Oliver broke out into an even wider grin and kissed her again, dipping her back until she squeaked again. 

“When can I see you again? Are you busy tomorrow? How about breakfast?”

“Breakfast?”

“Felicity, I’d love to come in and stay to cook you breakfast tomorrow. But since I’m a gentleman, I’ll settle for taking you out for breakfast tomorrow, or brunch or coffee.” Oliver felt a bit ridiculous with his pleading, but every time he was around Felicity he became a desperate hungry man.

“Tomorrow, coffee, sounds perfect. I can meet you at 9 am at Jitters.”

“It’s a date,” and with one final peck on the lips Oliver was truly on his way home, with a spring in his step.

>>>>\----------------------->>

As the joint venture project accelerated into its final stages, Oliver and Felicity were each working longer and longer hours. They both tried to check in with each other, a coffee here, a lunch there. But the oppressive schedule meant absolutely zero date opportunities.

First Oliver invited Felicity over for dinner. The night of their date Felicity got stuck coding to fix a major obstacle in one of the software modules. He was disappointed. Felicity was even more disappointed - Oliver had made pie.

Next Felicity invited Oliver to join her for a symphony performance of the music of Star Wars. Oliver had to cancel due to a last minute trip to London. He’d needed to go in Walter’s place - Walter - who never got sick - managed to get the flu. She was disappointed. Oliver was even more disappointed when he got a glimpse of the dress Felicity had chosen to wear to the concert when she face-timed him on the way to the concert.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Flashbulbs were going off in quick succession as the four men entered the ballroom and approached the podium. Dozens of reporters lined sides of the room, a few were crouching down in front of the first row of chairs.

Robert Queen moved to the podium flanked by Walter Steele, Oliver and Ray Palmer.

“Thank you all for coming. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Robert Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated. I'd like to introduce my son, Oliver, who’ll be making a short statement, followed by Ray Palmer, CEO of Palmer Technologies. Following our statements we’ll take a few questions.”

Robert stepped aside and turned to shake Oliver’s hand as he moved to the podium. 

“We’re here to update you on Queen Consolidated’s joint venture with Palmer Tech. This project brought together the manufacturing expertise of Queen Consolidated and the technical vision of Ray Palmer and his team at Palmer Tech.”

“I’d like to officially introduce Ray Palmer, the innovative inventor who spearheaded our efforts.”

Ray Palmer took Oliver’s place at the podium and began his presentation.

>>>>\----------------------->>

The ballroom adjacent to the press conference space had been transformed into a shimmery wonderland of twinkly lighted ficus trees and cozy tables with mylar balloon centerpieces featuring the logos of the two companies. Oliver grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing waiter as he scanned the room for Felicity. He spotted Palmer across the room in the midst of a crowd of people to the left of the open bar. Then he saw her.

She was wearing the dress that had left his mouth watering when he was in London. The red halter top dress accented her shoulders. His eyes traveled down to her shapely legs. 

Felicity shifted to gain some separation from the crowd that had gathered around Ray. She was really done talking about the joint venture. Felicity had already heard all of Ray’s party jokes three times over. Luckily she caught Oliver’s eye from across the room and smiled lifting her hand to wave him over.

_“So a neutron walks into a bar and asks, "How much for a drink?" The bartender replies, "For you, no charge."_

The assembled group broke out into a chorus of loud laughter right as Oliver reached Felicity’s side. Oliver lid his arm around her waist and pulled her further away from Ray’s admirers. He leaned in to kiss her check, “Hey you.”

“Hey yourself. Did you just get here? Great party by the way.”

“Thanks, but this is mostly the work of the marketing team. They are so much happier without me in charge. But I did just arrive, are you having fun?”

“Free champagne, plenty of food, and now you’re here. I’m good,” as she leaned into his embrace.

“I’m pleased that the project is moving to the manufacturing stage, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually going to miss the weekly project meetings.”

“Admit it Oliver, you are going to miss seeing Ray every week. I’m sure he’d clear his Saturdays to meet you for lunch.”

Oliver laughed, “There might be someone else that I’ve grown accustomed to seeing every weekend. Someone who is so busy and important that I can’t even make it onto her busy schedule.”

Felicity bumped his shoulder, “I know it's been hectic, but now that we’re done with the launch our schedule will calm down. You owe me dinner and pie mister.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

A pounding baseline filled their ears as they entered Verdant. Oliver leaned over to yell into Felicity’s ear, “This way, Tommy is expecting us.”

Oliver pulled Felicity by the hand as they wove through the throng on people on the dance floor to reach the velvet roped entrance to the stairs that led up to the VIP section. A tall and impressively broad man dressed in black stood guard over the entrance with his arms crossed.

Tommy Merlyn appeared behind the man and clapped his hand on his shoulder while he said something into his ear. The man nodded and quickly moved the rope to let them through.

He retreated up the stairs. Oliver and Felicity followed. Once they reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the significantly quieter VIP space, Tommy greeted Oliver with a hug, “Oliver, man, great to see you. And you must be Felicity. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Yes, that’s me, Felicity. Felicity Smoak. And what exactly have you heard about me?”

Tommy opened his mouth to speak but was stopped as his girlfriend appeared at his side. “You must be Felicity, ignore Tommy, I do most of the time. I’m Laurel by the way, great to meet you.”

Laurel and Felicity left the two men to slide into a booth near the back wall of the room. 

“Buddy, she is hot. Where did you meet her?”

“Tommy, don’t let Laurel hear you. Remember, I met her at work Tommy. We've been working together on the joint venture. She works for Palmer Tech.”

“Looks and brains. Well done. So what are you drinking tonight my man, scotch?”

>>>>\----------------------->>

After a couple rounds of drinks Oliver felt warm and relaxed especially with Felicity tucked in close to his side. His arm was slung loosely around her shoulders allowing his fingers to trail from her shoulder and down the smooth skin on her exposed arms in a rhythmic pattern.

“Felicity, did you grow in in Star City?”

“No, I’m a transplant, by way of Vegas and then Boston, where I went to college.”

“Vegas,” Tommy smiled, “Ollie and I took many awesome trips to Vegas, good times,” he winced as Laurel poked in him the side to halt his trip down memory lane.

“So do you like to gamble? I would love to have add a few tables here at the club, especially up here for my VIPs, but too bad we can’t.”

“Well technically you could offer card games, as long as there was no betting.”

“Sounds good - I think I’ve got a deck of cards in my office. You guys up for a friendly game?” Without waiting for an answer Tommy rose from his chair and left the room.

Laurel chimed in, “you don’t have to play, Tommy can be a bit over excited sometimes. Too much energy. Maybe I can convince him to head downstairs for a dance.”

“I’d love to play, but I don’t think it would be very fair.”

“Fair,” Laurel questioned.

Oliver piped in, “If I remember correctly from the day we met, you said you always win.”

Laurel looked incredulous, “that’s not possible.” 

Tommy returned to their table, deck of cards in hand. He signaled the waitress who approached their table. “We’ll need 4 shot glasses, and a bottle of vodka.”

“What do we need shot glasses for Tommy?” queried Oliver.

“Felicity said we can’t bet, but we can make the game interesting. Winner of each round takes one shot, and the losers take two.”

Felicity responded, “Okay, sounds fair to me.”

Oliver was annoyed, “Felicity, we don’t have to play. It’s been a long day.”

“I’ll play, but no shots for me, I’m your designated driver Tommy, and tomorrow is a work day,” answered Laurel.

“Everybody set, here we go,” said Tommy as he dealt the first round of cards. 

Oliver wondered if Felicity had been honest about her hidden talent after she lost the first two hands of poker, one to Tommy and one to Oliver. Then Felicity easily won the next two rounds. Oliver felt woozy. Tommy was getting annoyed.

“You are good Smoak. Why are you so lucky?”

“It's not luck, it’s skill.”

Oliver couldn’t focus. Felicity easily balanced her cards in one hand and stroked his leg with the other. She placed her cards down on the table for a moment and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “You doing ok?”

Oliver choked out a “yes, I’m fine.” 

_Of course I’m fine, you’re pressed up against me and rubbing your hand up and down my leg._

Next Felicity laid out her cards, “Full house, can you beat that Merlyn?”

Tommy scowled and threw his cards down, “No, obviously I can’t,” and he refilled the shot glasses from the now mostly empty bottle. He downed the shot and refilled both his and Oliver’s for their second one since they had lost the round.

Felicity stood up and wobbled a bit, pressing her hand onto Oliver’s shoulder for support. He rose next and pulled Tommy into a brief hug. Oliver grabbed Felicity's hand to lead her down the stairs. They reached the entrance where the bouncer said, “Mr. Queen, your cab will be here in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” 

“Tommy is a good host. Maybe a bit of a sore loser. It was nice of him to call us a cab. I am in no condition to drive,” as she swayed again in Oliver’s arms, sliding her hands up to encircle his neck.

Once they were settled in the cab Felicity moved closer and pressed her lips to his neck. He shuddered. Leaning down, he captured her lips. She sighed as he tilted her head to deepen the kiss. The cab came to an abrupt stop in front of Felicity’s door. 

“Would you like to come in?” 

Oliver grinned and seized her lips again, “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost to end of the story, thanks for hanging in there with me. This chapter turned out to be quite a bit longer than I originally planned, but it gets our favorite couple to a very good place. As Felicity would say, "So that (probably) happened..."


	7. Work in Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon prompt "Unfinished”
> 
> After a perfect evening with Felicity, Oliver is anxious to bring her breakfast in bed, starting with coffee. Fate has other plans.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver stretched in bed. Why was his head pounding? He fought the urge to roll over and go back to sleep. He squinted in the bright morning light that was streaming through the sheer pink curtains.

_“Pink curtains?”_

It was quite apparent that he was not waking up at his townhouse. The memories of the previously night cascaded through his mind.

_“Would you like to come in?”_

_“Lead the way.”_

_Felicity had offered wine, but he didn’t give her much of a chance to reach the bottle. Oliver boxed her against the counter and pulled her close. He slid her hair to the side to reveal her bare shoulder and pressed his lips against her cool skin. She turned in his arms and slipped from his grasp, bottle of wine and corkscrew in hand. He smiled as he remembered her giggle as she darted up the stairs._

Looking around the room he spotted the telltale signs of the previous evening’s activities. A half empty bottle of wine on the dresser, her heels by the door, his jacket and shirt slung over a chair and her bra hung over the bedpost.

Oliver leaned up on his elbows to get a good look at his bed partner. Her back was exposed, but her face was hidden by a halo of still damp blonde curls.

 _The shower…_

_I should wake her up and we can get started on round three…_

Oliver reached out to caress her back but paused. _No, it would be better so much better to wake her up after I’ve made her breakfast. Yes, we’ll need food._

He slipped on his boxers and pants that were lying pooled on the floor beside the bed and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. There wasn’t much to work with in the fridge, but there were eggs - he could make an omelet. 

_Coffee. Must make coffee. Felicity loves her coffee._

Oliver was not surprised when he found the coffeemaker on the countertop preloaded and ready to go. He hit the start button and went in search of mugs.

 _Vrrmm, Vrrmm._ His pocket buzzed. Oliver ignored it and continued his search of the cabinets. It didn’t take long before his phone was ringing again.

Oliver pulled the phone from his pocket to see a photo of Thea filling the screen.

“Hey Thea, what’s up?”

“Ollie, oh my God. Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I’ve been calling for hours.”

“I was sleeping. I know it’s a weekday, but I gave everyone on the project team the day off to recuperate after the launch party. What’s wrong?”

“It’s Dad. Ollie, he’s in the hospital, intensive care. They’re preparing him for surgery. You need to get here as soon as you can.”

“Surgery, Thea, slow down, what happened.”

“Heart attack. It’s bad Ollie. I’m scared. Even Mom is scared, and you know she never gets upset. You need to hurry. We’re at Starling General.”

“Ok Thea. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.Tell Mom I’m on my way.”

The coffee maker dinged. 

Oliver groaned. _Felicity. I can’t make her breakfast. I don’t even have time to say goodbye._

He hurried up the stairs and stepped quietly into Felicity’s bedroom. He grabbed his shirt and jacket from the chair, slipped on his shoes, and shoved his socks into his pocket.

Oliver allowed himself one minute to gaze at Felicity who was still curled up in the bed fast asleep. He dropped his head and turned to leave. Oliver dashed down the stairs and was out the door.

Felicity woke with a start at the sound of a slamming door. Still disoriented from the abrupt awakening, she sat up in bed and looked around.

Empty bed, clothes gone. Felicity fell back into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Felicity was up to her eyeballs in computing power, multitasking between her tablet and workstation. She was happy to be back at the office. It was just what she needed - a huge distraction.

The door to her office swung open and Curtis Holt entered, skidding to a stop in front of her desk.

“Felicity, did you hear the news?”

“No, what news.”

“About Queen Consolidated.”

“Queen Consolidated?”

“Just turn on the TV, try channel 52, I think the press conference is about to start.”

She rose to reach the remote on her conference table to turn on the tv. The camera was focused on an empty podium surrounded by microphones. 

The announcer said, _“We expect the press conference to begin shortly. Oliver Queen, acting COO will be making a statement, look, he’s arrived and is approaching the podium.”_

Felicity’s legs buckled, seeing him again, even on a TV screen was too much. She pulled out a chair and sat down. 

_“Thank for you coming. Our PR team is handing out copies of my remarks. I will not be taking questions. They will be available to answer your questions following my statement.”_

_“My father, Robert Queen suffered a heart attack late Wednesday evening.”_

Felicity gasped. 

_“He is currently recovering at Starling General following open heart bypass surgery. His condition is stable and he is expected to make a full recovery.”_

As the camera zoomed in for a close-up and Felicity could see dark circles blossoming around his eyes. He looked weary and appeared to be wearing the same clothes he had worn to the post launch reception.

_“In the interim I will be taking on the role of CEO. Walter Steele, our current CFO has also agreed to act as liaison between myself and the board as well as facilitating the ongoing work with our joint venture with Palmer Technologies.”_

Curtis chimed in, “I guess we won’t be seeing much of him around here anymore. Uh, sorry Felicity.”

_“My family and I appreciate all of the support we’ve received, but ask for privacy during this difficult time and for my father’s upcoming recovery.”_

“Well, at least he had a good reason for skipping out.”

_“I want to assure the Queen Consolidated Board, our stockholders, our employees and customers that you have my full commitment to the company and its success. Thank you.”_

Oliver left the podium and was ushered off the stage to a waiting limousine

“Hey Felicity. I know that you and Oliver were getting close. This is awful news. Wait, did I hear you say that he had a good reason for skipping out?”

“Yes, no, it’s not important.” She turned off the TV and returned to her desk. Felicity spun her chair to look out into the grey sky.

“Oh no you don’t, Felicity. Spill. Now that I think of it, you disappeared during the reception and you weren’t at work yesterday.”

She turned back to face him, eyes full of tears. “So, Oliver and I went out to a club after the reception.”

“A club, wow, that’s exciting news. Did you get to press up against that gorgeous hunk of a man on the dance floor?”

“No, but we did a lot of drinking.”

“And then…”

“He came over to my place, and he might have spent the night, but left without telling me in the morning or even leaving a note. But strangely enough I think he made coffee before he left.”

“Felicity, he spent the night? Please tell me he didn’t just pass out drunk on your couch.”

“No. But I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Don’t you think you should call him and see how he’s doing? He looked pretty worn out at that press conference. He needs a hug.”

“Curtis, obviously the whole sleeping together thing was a mistake. We were never serious, just a bunch of lunches and coffees. Just one real date.”

“I think you’re wrong Felicity. Having someone to lean on in a relationship is what gets you through the tough times. I don’t know what I would do sometimes without Paul to keep me grounded, he’s my rock.”

“You and Paul, that’s something special. We will just agree to disagree about Oliver. Look Curtis, I have to get back to work. Ray is going to be barging in here any minute about damage control after that announcement. I know we’re good, but you know how he gets.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

_Three Weeks Later_

Thea stepped off the executive elevator to greet Janice, her Dad’s, well now Oliver’s EA.

“Hey Janice, how’s the big grouch today?”

“Thea, good to see you. The same I’m afraid. He’s here when I arrive, and still working when I leave”

“I was really hoping you’d get him to crack by showing him that cute video of your granddaughter carving pumpkins. So can I go right in, or do I need an appointment?”

“You know you never need one, but let me buzz him, that way he’ll bark at me instead of you.”

Janice picked up her phone and hit the intercom button. 

_“Yes, Janice, what is it?”_ Oliver growled.

“Oliver, your sister Thea is here to see you, I’m sending her in.”

_“Tell her I'm not available Janice…”_

Janice hung up before he could finish. “Good luck Thea, you’ll need it.”

Thea opened the door to her brother’s office. “Geez Ollie, you don’t need to bite the woman’s head off.”

“Thea, it’s good to see you, but I don’t have much time. I’ve got to get through these financial reports before my 2 pm meeting with Walter.”

“Ollie, let’s go grab some coffee. You sound and look like you need a break. Mom and Dad say hello by the way.”

Oliver pushed back from his desk and rubbed his face with his hands.

“Thea, I can’t maybe another time.”

“But Ollie, It’s only 10 am, your meeting isn’t until 2 pm. Just give me an hour.”

“I won’t be very good company.”

“You are always good company. And now that I think of it, how are things going with you and your lady? I know your first date was a big success, even though you totally ignored my awesome dating advice.”

Oliver’s focus had returned to the papers on his desk, “Nothing to tell Thea. It’s over.”

“It’s over. Ollie. I know it was a touch and go with Dad for a few days, and then really stressful for another week or two, but he’s doing so much better, he’s getting stronger every day. When is the last time you talked with her? I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“It’s been too long Thea, she’s not going to want to see me or talk to me again after what I did.”

“This sounds like a perfect opportunity for me to again bestow upon you my sage dating advice. Come on Ollie, let’s just go get some coffee.” Thea continued to plead and cajole but she was unsuccessful and left his office, slamming his door closed, “no luck Janice. But I’m not giving up yet. Keep me posted.”

Janice smiled with understanding, “see you later Thea.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

The mood was not much better over a Palmer Technologies. Curtis was annoyed that he had been unable to spur Felicity to pick up the phone, or text or stop by to see one Oliver Queen. She was focused on her work, putting out fires related to the joint venture, but there was no spark, no jokes, no babbling.

He couldn’t stand it anymore. It was now or never. Entering her office in a rush, Curtis moved quickly to shut her laptop and then jump back.

“Curtis, what are you doing,” as she reopened her laptop and scowled in his direction. 

“Let’s go get some coffee, and a snack, I’m hungry.”

“That’s fine Curtis, take a break, I’ll keep working until you’re back.”

“No, you need to take a break, Felicity.”

“No I don’t,” as she continued to type.

“Felicity, this is an intervention. I miss you.”

“I’m right here Curtis. Nothing to miss.”

“Have you taken my advice, about calling Oliver?”

“Curtis, do we have to talk about this again? I’m over it, I’ve moved on, it was fun while it lasted, but it's over.”

Curtis was deflated, she was unaffected by his perseverance. He needed another plan of attack.

“How about if I go get some coffee from Jitters and then once I get back you can take a short break?”

Felicity didn’t look up from her work and answered, “Sure Curtis.”

Curtis headed out and muttered to himself, “Okay, but I still don’t believe you. I’m going to get those blueberry scones you like and I won’t share them.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Jitters was bustling. Thea had taken one of the few open seats at the counter near the cash register. She took a long sip from her chai latte. A very tall black man approached the cashier.

The barista greeting him, “Hey Curtis, good to see you.” 

“Hey Christine, what’s good today? Do you still have any blueberry scones left?”

‘You are in luck, there are two left, one for you and one for Felicity. Come to think of it, why isn’t Felicity with you. I haven’t seen her in a while. Don’t tell me she’s found another coffee shop.”

Thea’s ears perked up.

“She’s not here, nose to the grindstone. I knew that your blueberry scones might tempt her to take a break.”

“So two cups of French roast, with room for cream, and two scones. It will only be a minute.”

Thea turned to the man and introduced herself. “Excuse me.”

Curtis turned towards her and smiled, “Hi, how are you doing...”

She extended her hand to him, “Thea, Thea Queen.”

Curtis’s eyes went wide, “I'm Curtis Holt and you're Thea Queen, wow, great to meet you. I work over a Palmer Technologies, we’re working on a big project with Queen Consolidated. Oh, I was sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope he is doing better.”

“Thanks for asking, he’s at home doing his rehab, but it is hard to get him to actually rest.”

“I heard you talking about a friend, Felicity was it?”

“Yes, I’m picking up some coffee, and well scones for both of us. She’s been in such a funk. I can’t get her to wake up and smell the coffee and give Oliver a call…”

“Oliver, yup... and you’re Thea Queen, his sister.”

“Yes I am Curtis, and I am so glad to meet you. We have so much to talk about.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for tossing that monkey wrench. That was a bit of a bait and switch wasn't it? This idea, courtesy of my oldest daughter was too good to pass up to get Thea and Curtis working to help them patch things up. The good news - a couple of extra chapters; the bad news - it will take some time to work through this bump in the road. Thanks again to all of you who are following the story. I do my own editing so holler if you see any huge errors.


	8. What Are Friends For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> True friends will help you out - even if you don’t realize you need their help. In other words how Thea and Curtis conspire to reunite our favorite couple. Will they succeed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so floored by all the kudos and comments. I’ve never written anything this lengthy here on AO3 before, thanks for all your support.

>>>>\----------------------->>

\--------

_Thea Queen: Get her to the spot by 10:05 at the latest._

_Curtis Holt: Roger that, t-minus 30 and counting on my mark._

_Thea Queen: WTF? Just make sure she leaves on time._

_Curtis Holt: Got it, fingers crossed. I will get her to the dropzone._

_Thea Queen: Dropzone??? WTF!!! Keep me posted._

\--------

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver sat at their normal table with a view of the street so he could watch for Thea’s approach. She had been unbelievably persistent about restarting their regular Saturday coffee dates. He smiled - that was new - it was probably time to smile more and work a bit less on the weekends. Thea was right, their Dad was recovering and everyone at Queen Consolidated had gotten used to the idea of him being CEO. Walter had been such a great resource and cheerleader. He had arrived extra early and was already done with his first cup of coffee. Thea wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another 10 minutes. Oliver headed up to the counter for a refill and to place Thea’s order.

_Meanwhile, at a nearby intersection, 1 block north of the ‘drop zone’_

Felicity was struggling to keep up with Curtis’ long strides as they crossed the street. 

“Curtis, slow down, why are you walking so fast?”

“I don’t want to be late.”

“Late, late for what? I’m pretty sure they’ll still have coffee no matter when we get there, they sell coffee all day. These promised heavenly pastries better meet my very high expectations after this walk. Moderate pace my ass.”

“I promise you, it will be so worth it, for both of us.”

The pair continued their brisk pace down the sidewalk. Felicity bobbed and weaved around numerous pedestrians and dogs in her attempt to keep up with Curtis.

Felicity looked down for a moment to avoid hole in the sidewalk when, “Ooof,” she crashed right into Curtis who had stopped abruptly and was bent over, holding his side and wincing.

“Uh.. Felicity, you’ll have to go… without me… I can’t … have to rest…”

“But Curtis, I can just wait here with you while you rest.”

“No!”

“No? I really don’t mind.”

“You… just go on… I’ll catch … up … in a bit.”

Felicity tilted her head in confusion. “Okay, if you say so, but if I don’t see you down at the coffee shop in 10 minutes I’m coming back.”

“Thanks Felicity,” he sputtered as he continued to breath heavily. He sat down on the ground and hung his head between his knees.

Felicity patted him on the back. “Okay, rest up, see you soon,” and she was on her way.

“That was so weird. I thought he was an Olympian. Geez, he is really out of shape.”

Curtis hopped up from the sidewalk and moved behind a nearby tree until he saw Felicity round the corner. With Felicity out of sight Curtis pulled out his phone. 

\--------

_Curtis Holt: The package is on its way._

_Thea Queen: Package, oh, you mean Felicity. She better hurry, Oliver is probably already there._

_Curtis Holt: She will, I told her about the chocolate croissants, she’s power walking._

_Thea Queen: Squeee - So Excited ;)_

\--------

_Meanwhile, back at the coffee shop - otherwise known as the ‘drop zone’_

Thea was late, where was she. Oliver shot off a quick text, and there was no reply. _That’s odd. Maybe I should stop by her apartment, just in case we got our signals crossed._

He rose from his table to return his cup to the counter. Oliver poured Thea’s still warm chai latte into a to-go cup and started towards the door. 

Little did he know that Felicity was approaching the coffee shop.

Curtis was crouching behind a large potted shrub when he saw Oliver exit the coffee shop.

Oliver went through the door and narrowly missed bumping into a mom tugging a small child by the hand while pushing a stroller. As he passed the toddler dropped a stuffed bear and Oliver stooped to retrieve it for the child.

“Dammit, Oliver, stand up so you can see her!” he cursed. A passing woman eyed him oddly. 

“Here you go buddy,” as Oliver held out the bear for the child.

In the next moment Felicity popped into the coffee shop as the couple exiting held the door for her. Curtis slid to the ground. They had missed each other. 

\--------

_Curtis Holt: Mayday, Mayday, the package has missed rendezvous point._

_Thea Queen: I know he was there - he just texted me. What happened?_

_Curtis Holt: The parachute did not deploy_

_Thea Queen: Parachute - WTF!!!_

\--------

>>>>\----------------------->>

\--------

_Thea Queen: Hey Curtis, I have another idea._

_Curtis Holt: What U got_

_Thea Queen: Can you get Felicity to the R &D lab at Queen Consolidated - Thurs 3 pm_

_Curtis Holt: I’m on it. How will you get Oliver there?_

_Thea Queen: I’ll request a tour, he loves when I take an interest in the company._

\--------

>>>>\----------------------->>

“Felicity, isn’t this week scheduled for your girls in STEM field trip? “

Now that the joint venture was up and running smoothly, Felicity had returned to coaching the ‘Girl Code’ STEM group at Bayshore High School. The group met weekly and we working on a number of robotic machines and vehicles to enter in the upcoming regional NASA robotics competition. Just for fun they had monthly field trips, mostly to local technology companies to broaden the girls to all kinds of math, science, and technology - not just robotics.

“Yes, it is field trip week. I was going to double dip and bring them to see our product development lab again. There are a few new kids in the group, so hopefully the rest won’t be disappointed.”

“Why don’t you bring them on a tour of the demonstration factory in the R&D lab over at Queen Consolidated? That would show them a real world use of robotic technology.”

Felicity thought for a moment, she was a bit hesitant to set foot over at Queen Consolidated, but there was no chance that she’d run into Oliver - he never came to the lab - he was eighteen floors up in the executive offices - a safe distance.

“Good idea Curtis. I have to message the team, but could you check in with Neal over at QC to set up the tour, Thursday at 1 p.m.?”

Curtis broke into a wide grin, “happy to help.” He sat down at his workstation to send an email to Neal, but looked at his phone and stopped to share the good news with his partner in crime. 

\--------

_Curtis Holt: All set, she’ll be there Thurs 1 pm_

_Thea Queen: Sweet!_

\--------

>>>>\----------------------->>

To be honest, Felicity was a bit surprised at how excited the girls on her team were about the visit to QC. Sure, they were all top students and loved building things, but the constant bevy of whispers and giggles coming from the group behind her was unnerving.

A tall girl in the back of the group leaned over to her friend, “Do you think we’ll see him? I mean he is CEO.”

Her friend sighed, “doubtful, we’re touring the R&D lab, not the executive offices.”

“Do you think Felicity knows him? Or maybe we could press the wrong button on the elevator…”

The group finished checking in at the security desk and approached the bank of elevators. “Okay girls, we’re heading up to the 20th floor. Half of you go with Mr. Holt, the other half with me. I know that you’ll be on your best behavior. We won’t be able to go into the clean room, but they have a great viewing portal in the lab.”

The two girls slipped into the elevator, a bit annoyed that Felicity was standing right in front of the floor selection buttons.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Thea entered the main lobby of QC and caught a glimpse of Felicity and the group of teenage girls getting on the elevator.

“Just in time,” as she hurried to catch the next elevator on her way to meet her brother.

_Meanwhile on the Executive Floor_

“Janice, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I’m meeting Thea to give her a tour of the R&D lab. Text me if anything urgent comes up.”

She was quick to answer, “of course Oliver, I’ll be in touch for anything urgent. Have fun.”

Janice smiled and shot off a quick text to Thea indicating that he was on his way and she would not be texting him about anything - nothing would be urgent enough to stop this important meeting.

Felicity and her group arrived on at the R&D lab floor and headed through another security checkpoint. 

Curtis moved ahead of Felicity, “I’ll sign them in, why don’t you wait here for Neal,” knowing full well that Oliver Queen would soon be stepping out of one of the elevators. 

“Okay, sounds good. Neal should be here any minute,” as she pulled out her tablet to quickly check her email.

The elevator opened and out stepped Neal Brooks, the Technical Project Engineer for the joint venture. Thea was right behind him.

“Felicity, hey, good to see you. I was so happy to get your call. I’ve missed seeing you since we turned the project over to the manufacturing team.” and they turned together to head towards the robotic manufacturing exhibit.

\--------

_Curtis Holt: Where are you?_

_Thea Queen: Just got here, Ollie will be right down._

_Curtis Holt: I’m so excited_

_Thea Queen: Me 2 - sparks will fly <3 <3 _

\--------

Thea slid her phone back into her purse. The elevator dinged and Oliver stepped out of the elevator. “Thea, you’re already here,” as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“This is so exciting Ollie.”

“Really, Thea, I was surprised when you called about wanting to take a tour. I didn’t think that technology was your thing.”

“You’ve stepped up to take on a bigger role in the company. It’s time I did the same, and this is a great way to start.”

Oliver led them past the security desk and down the hall. Thea picked up her pace as she caught sight of the end group of girls turn the corner towards the lab.

“Thea, slow down, why are you rushing?”

“I told you Ollie, I’m so excited.”

The pair reached the R&D lab and Thea moved over to the large picture window which now had a view of the group of a dozen teenage girls gathered around row of computer monitors. 

“Ollie, wow, that is quite impressive,” as she worked to gain Oliver’s attention. He stepped towards the windows and Thea held her breath, waiting for him to notice Felicity. She wasn't much taller than the student in her group, she kept leaning over and disappearing from view.

One of the girls standing near the back of the crowd sensed that someone was looking through the window behind them and turned around. Her mouth dropped open and she tugged on the sleeve of the girl next to her. 

“It’s him,” she whispered. Her friend turned and broke into a wide smile. The tugging and whispering cascaded down the line until most of the group was staring at Oliver and Thea - well mostly at Oliver. 

“Thea, I think we’re disturbing the group that’s in there now, let’s hang back a bit.” Oliver took a step away from the window, Thea reached out to stop him.

“No, we should stay here, better yet, let’s go inside so we can hear the presentation, I’m sure they won’t mind.”

_Am I imagining it or are those girls moving closer to the window?_

He wasn’t. Soon the majority of the girls were practically pressed up the window, unashamedly looking him up and down. 

_I feel like a piece of meat._

Oliver gave an awkward wave to the assembled group.

Thea was overjoyed, they were so close, he’d notice Felicity any second and then she could sit back and watch their reunion. She caught Curtis’ eye and have signaled with a double thumbs up.

She was so busy reveling in their success that she didn’t see the security guard approach.

“Mr Queen, sorry to interrupt, but I have a phone call at the desk for you. It’s Walter Steele, he says its urgent.”

Thea’s eye went wide. Curtis was shocked and waved his arms, signally Thea to do something. But Oliver quickly turned on his heels to follow the security guard. Thea grabbed his sleeve in a vain attempt to stop him, “But Ollie, can’t it wait for a few minutes, you can call him back. I really want to go in and see the lab, now.”

“Thea, I’ll only be a second.”

It was in that moment that Felicity chose to turn around to see her STEM team looking out the window.

She scolded them, “Girls, pay attention, come back over here and get away from the window.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Thea hovered in the lobby to wait for Curtis’ arrival. She saw him converse with Felicity and watched as she lead her teenage charges out the front door.

“What happened, we were so close?”

“He got a phone call, he is so damned responsible now. The old Ollie would have blown it off.”

“I guess we need to try again.”

“Yes we do.”

“So what’s the plan.”

“We call in the big guns.”

“The big guns?”

Thea pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

“Hi Mom, it’s Thea, I was wondering if you are free for lunch tomorrow?”

>>>>\----------------------->>

The lunchtime crowd at the Star City country club restaurant was buzzing. Thea saw her mother from across the room at he usual table positioned off in an alcove overlooking the 1st tee.

As she reached the table she leaned in to kiss her mother’s cheek, “How are you Mom? Dad still giving you trouble?”

“Of course, I can’t get the man to properly rest. Do you know he asked his doctor if he could play golf again, and the doctor said yes, if he rode in the cart.”

“That sounds like Dad. Without going to work each day he’s got to be bored out of his mind.”

“Yes, but deep down he knows it is time to retire. He was grooming Oliver to take over, the heart attack just sped up his schedule. He is adjusting, slowly. So, why did you ask me to lunch dear? You could have just stopped by the house if you wanted an update on your Dad.”

“Mom, I need your help with an important project. I’m having a bit of trouble pulling it all together.”

Moria smiled, “Of course, how can I help?”

Thea didn’t normally ramble, but once she started talking about Oliver and Felicity, how they had met and why the insanely stupid reason that they were no longer together she couldn’t stop. Next she explained the great lengths that she and Curtis had gone to over the past few weeks to arrange an accidental meeting. Moira listened with attention and Thea was sure that her mother was ready to step in and help reunite Oliver with her future sister-in-law.

“I don’t think you should do anything else.”

“Great, so you’ll help. I knew you would.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Thea, Oliver is a grown man, he can handle his own love life.”

“But Mom…”

“Let them work it out on their own Thea. Have faith, if it is meant to be, it will work out somehow. Maybe he just needs a bit more time.”

“More time. It’s been a month since they...”

“They what Thea?”

“Uh… since they went on a date. That is too long, he needs to call her before someone else snatches her up. She’s special Mom, you should hear the way he talks about here. Wouldn’t the media just eat up a story of true love? I know it would help the company’s image,” Thea added in desperation.

“Let it be Thea, let’s enjoy our lunch.”

Thea was dejected. This was not the answer she had expected or desired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go - I promise it will be worth it for our soon to be happy couple. Please hang in there with me. I expect to have the final chapter up early next week. Thanks for reading!


	9. It's Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver tugged at his bow tie as he entered the ballroom. _Why are these damn ties always too tight?_
> 
> Will he take a chance when the moment arrives? It's now or never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this final chapter - I’m happy this is complete-ish. This is the longest fic I’ve written. Been busy getting kids ready to head back to college. RL is just so demanding at times. Happy reading.

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver tugged at his bow tie as he entered the ballroom at the Grand Hotel for the yearly fundraiser and award presentation for the Star City Civitas club.

_Why are these damn ties always too tight._

The room was filled to bursting with the well connected of Star City in their dress to impress best. White gloved waiters weaved through the crowd with canapes and glasses of champagne. As Oliver stepped onto the space he grabbed a glass from a passing waiter and chugged it down.

“Easy there buddy, somebody might think you don’t want to be here.”

Thea appeared at his side, the light reflecting off her beaded gown. 

“Mom rope you into coming too?”

“No, I’m here in Dad’s place, he was supposed to present the Humanitarian of the Year award and also, pass along QC’s donation.”

“Lucky you, yes, CEO Oliver Queen. You look the part. I guess I’ll see you later. Good luck with your speech bro. I’m off to check out the dessert table.”

Oliver walked past the many food tables and scanned the silent auction offerings in an effort to kill time and avoid having to strike up a conversation with any of the chipper party goers. There were so many people. Oliver spun around to make space for a throng of passing guests, but he bumped into someone and turned around again to say, “Excuse me…”

The rest of the room faded as his eyes connected with a pair of familiar blue eyes that belonged to Felicity Smoak. 

“Oliver, hi. It’s good to see you…. again.”

“It is good to see you too Felicity.”

Felicity shifted to put some space between them, “how is your Dad? I hope he’s better. I’ve heard a few things, at the office, through the grapevine...”

Oliver reached up to place his hand on her shoulder, but quickly rethought the gesture as too personal and removed it. “Thank you, he is better, he's made quite a bit of progress in the last few weeks. That’s why I’m here. I'm standing in for him to present an award.” 

“That right, congratulations on being named CEO.”

Oliver lost focus for a moment as he stared into her eyes. _How did I forget how beautiful she is. It’s now or never, isn’t it._

“Would you like to dance?”

“Dance, yes, uh, no. Two left feet.”

“Felicity, please,” as he held out his hand.

She accepted his hand and they walked to join the swaying crowd on the dance floor, “okay, but fair warning, your feet will be at risk.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

As they began to dance Oliver pulled back, “Felicity, I’m so sorry.”

“Oliver,”

“Please, let me finish Felicity.” 

Oliver leaned closer to speak directly into her ear and they continued to sway. “I wish I could go back and change what I did that morning. I woke up and I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed, but then Thea called. She was frantic. She’d been trying to call me for hours.”

“That makes sense Oliver. Who wouldn’t rush out when their family needed them? I understand.”

A presence invaded their moment, “Excuse me, Mr. Queen, could you and your partner look this way?”

Felicity turned toward the voice and was greeted with a blinding flash. 

Not wanting to lose the momentum of their conversation, Oliver paused and said, “Why don’t we take a break and find somewhere quiet, where we can talk.”

He led her across the room and followed a cool breeze through a set of open french doors. There was a chill in the air, a glimpse of the change in seasons. The night sky was filled with stars and Oliver and Felicity walked to the railing to take in the view of the city lights.

“Beautiful, isn’t it,” commented Felicity.

“Breathtaking.” Oliver wasn’t talking about the view of the city.

An uneasy silence fell between the pair as neither one appeared ready to restart their conversation. But soon the silence became unbearable and they both turned to each other and said, “I’ve missed you.” 

Felicity smiled and stepped closed to Oliver. She wound her arm through his and threaded their fingers together as they leaned on the railing. 

“I missed stopping by to bring you coffee, I missed going out to lunch, I’ve missed everything. I can’t believe I was so stupid to throw that all away.”

“Oliver, let it go. You haven’t thrown it all away. Let’s start over,” as she pulled her arm away and stepped back. She extended her hand to Oliver, “Hi, I’m Felicity Smoak.”

He broke into a wide grin, “It's great to meet you Felicity, I’m Oliver Queen.”

“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” 

Felicity leaned forward to reply, “just so you know Mr. Queen, I don’t put out on the first date.”

They both laughed, but then noticed their proximity and they both began to lean in for a kiss.

A young woman approached the pair and cleared her throat, “excuse me, Mr. Queen, so sorry to, uh, interrupt. I’m Becky from the Civitas organization. I just wanted to remind you that we’ll need you in the ballroom to make your presentation in about 10 minutes. Can you follow me back inside so we can get everything in place?”

Oliver pulled back from Felicity, but kept his arm secured around her waist. “Becky, thanks for the reminder. Just give me a moment and I’ll meet you there.”

“Of course Mr. Queen.”

“I guess duty calls,” said Felicity, looking a bit disappointed at another missed connection.

“Yes, it does. But you’ll stay right. Not to listen to my speech, but so we can, talk some more and maybe check out the silent auctions, there’s plenty of food.”

Felicity rested her hand on his cheek, “I’m not going anywhere, well, except to get some wine. You never know how long those speakers might talk…”

Oliver took her hand and led her back into the ballroom, “Sounds good, so I’ll catch you by the bar once I’m finished. I promise my presentation will be short and sweet.” He squeezed her hand and was off.

As if by chance, or luck, at opposite ends of the ballroom, Thea and Curtis were both witness to the sight of Oliver and Felicity as they parted ways and headed in separate directions. 

Thea exclaimed, “This can’t be happening,” as she made her way to intercept Felicity.

“I need to stop her,” Curtis said as he too began to push through the crowd from his side of the room.

Curtis reached her first and grabbed her arm, “Felicity, you can’t leave yet.” 

Thea arrived a minute later and grabbed her other arm, “please Felicity - give Oliver a chance to explain.”

“Curtis, What do you mean? I’m not leaving.” 

The determined look on Thea’s face was replaced by a huge grin, “You’re not?” 

She extended her hand, “Hi Felicity, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Oliver’s sister Thea. I am SO happy to finally meet you.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

A thunderous round of applause filled the room as Oliver posed with the winner of the Humanitarian of the Year award. He caught Felicity’s eye from across the room as he made his way over to where she was standing. It took him awhile to reach her since there were many hands to shake along the way.

“Thea, I see you’ve met Felicity,” as he stepped beside her and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her in close.

“Yes Ollie, it’s about time I met her,” added Thea.

“I don’t disagree.”

Felicity spoke up, “and Oliver, you remember Curtis Holt from Palmer Tech.”

Oliver extended his hand to Curtis, “of course. Good to see you again Curtis.”

“Mr. Queen, let me say it is great to see you again too.”

Oliver noticed that Felicity was not holding a glass of wine. “Felicity, did you not make it to the bar, should I get you something? Red wine?”

“I’m good, Thea and Curtis wanted to make sure I wasn’t leaving for some strange reason,” as she turned and looked at the pair who appeared a bit uncomfortable.

“Well, since I’m finished with my obligations for the evening, I could give you a ride home, if you'd like,” Oliver questioned.

“I’d love that.” 

Oliver didn’t need to be told twice, he took Felicity's hand and was off towards the door.

“Well, that was rude, they didn’t even say goodbye,” added Thea.

“But Thea, they left, together. Like together together.”

She broke out into a wide grin and held up her hand to give Curtis a high five. “We did it. They are talking and driving home together. Score!”

Oliver’s driver opened the door for the couple and the pair slid into the back seat of the limo. “Mr. Queen, will you be heading home now or will there a different destination?”

Oliver turned to Felicity in question, she smiled and nodded.

“Michael, home will be fine, thank you.”

>>>>\----------------------->>

Oliver felt warm and cozy, but a bit stiff and sore. _”Why is my hand asleep?_

He opened his eyes and recalled that they had fallen asleep on the couch. Despite the tingles coursing through his hand he didn’t move and smiled at Felicity as he thought back on their conversation from the previous night. They had settled into the couch, kicked off their shoes and shared a bottle of wine. 

_”Felicity, I am so glad that you are giving me another chance, well I hope that you are, I can make you breakfast in the morning, just like I had planned the other night. Or maybe that’s too soon, if you want me to call you a cab.”_

_He heard a small snort from Felicity - she had fallen asleep._

_“So much for pouring my heart out. It can all wait until the morning.”_

Felicity shifted in his arms and opened her eyes.

“Good morning.”

“Oliver, oh I’m so sorry I fell asleep on you. Like literally fell asleep on you. I’ll get moving and call a cab.”

She moved to extricate herself up from Oliver’s embrace, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.

“You’re not going anywhere, I owe you breakfast, and additional groveling for forgiveness.”

“Oliver, you need to let me go.”

“Felicity, I just got you back, I’m not going to let you go again.”

She leaned forward to kiss him firmly on the lips, “Oliver, I just need to use the bathroom, I am all in for breakfast.”

After a quick bathroom break she met him in the kitchen. He handed her a steaming mug of coffee, “here you go, what do you want for breakfast? You better check your phone, your bag has been chiming."

“I’ll be fine with just the coffee. Do you have some clothes I can borrow - so I don’t have to do the walk of shame - not that we did anything shameful last night - but I’d hate to have my neighbors see me arrive home in this dress - in the morning. And don’t you have your Saturday am coffee date with Thea?”

Felicity pulled her phone from her bag, “Oh Curtis.”

Oliver came up from behind so he could read the texts over her shoulder.

_11:22 PM - CH: Felicity, how did it go?? <3 <3_  
_11:43 PM - CH: Hope you got some lovin from that big hunka hunka burnin love_  
_7:22 AM - CH: Felicity….helloooo_  
_8:43 AM - CH: Call me later - hope you are gettin busy_

“Who’s CH?”

“Curtis,”

“I really don’t know what to say about that. Curtis is quite a character.”

“Let’s just say he is very invested in my love life. Oh, I don’t mean that I’m in love with you, he is just.. “

Felicity was saved by the chime as Oliver’s phone began to ring with notifications.

Oliver unlocked his phone to see three texts from his sister Thea.

_8:47 AM - Speedy: Oliver, I hope I won't be seeing you at our coffee date today_  
_8:49 AM - Speedy: Tell Felicity I said hi <3 <3_  
_8:52 AM - Speedy: Call me later - if you ever get out of bed LOL_

“So, according to Thea, I have no commitments and am free to make you breakfast.”

Felicity slid up to Oliver’s side, “I’m so happy to hear you have no other commitments.”

He turned to face her and moved his arms around her waist, “And I am so happy you’re here.”

Felicity smiled and slid her hands around his neck and leaned up to kiss him.

The kiss turned heated as Oliver pulled her tightly against his body. He paused, a bit out of breath, “I think breakfast can wait.”

Felicity smiled and nodded, as Oliver pulled her up the stairs to his bedroom.

>>>>\----------------------->>

It was almost noon by the time Oliver and Felicity returned to the kitchen in search of sustenance. Felicity had found a t-shirt and sweatpants of Oliver’s to borrow. She stood by the open fridge surveying the possibilities for brunch.

“You’ve got a lot of food in here for just one person. So many vegetables.”

Oliver slid up behind her, "vegetables are healthy, and you know I like to cook.”

“Do you have anything in the freezer we could heat up? That would be faster. I did work up an appetite,” she asked as she moved to pull open the door to the freezer.

Oliver stepped forward and used his hand to block her from opening the freezer.

“Oliver, why can’t I look in your freezer?”

“Felicity, just sit down, I’ll make us omelets, the freezer is just filled with frozen veggies.”

“Why does it seem like you are hiding something?”

Felicity appeared to give up and turned towards the stools that sat along the back of the kitchen island, but once Oliver relinquished his guard of the freezer door she pounced and yanked the freezer door open.

“What is this Oliver?"

He turned to see her standing in front of the open freezer. 

“I might be known to stress bake.”

The freezer was filled with neatly stacked pies in zip lock bags. Felicity pulled out a pie from top of one of the stacks and set it on the island. 

“Really, you think, because this freezer is filled with nothing but pie.”

“I was considering inviting you over for apology pie, but that didn’t happen.”

“You know what this means.”

“That I need counseling… or a bigger freezer?”

‘No, it means BREAKFAST PIE!”

>>>>\----------------------->>

The intercom buzzed and Ray Palmer picked up his phone, “Yes Amanda, fine, put her through.”

“Mrs. Queen, good to hear from you, how is Robert doing?”

_”Ray, remember I told you to call me Moira, and thank you for asking. Robert is making great progress in his recovery.”_

“So what can I do for you Moira?”

_”I wanted to call and thank you for making sure that Ms. Smoak attended the awards event last week. Did you see the picture in the paper?”_

“Yes, I saw the picture. Felicity and Oliver looked very cosy. Did they get back together?”

_”Yes I believe so, they just needed a little push.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is where the story ends. I hope you enjoyed the happy fluffy ending. You can see that Moira did heed Thea's request, just in a very understated way. Most relationships need a push from a friend to get them started. Perhaps the story needs an epilogue I would love to hear any ideas you may have. I will also try my hand at a couple of flashback ‘chapters’ as suggested by **icannotbelieveIamhere** \- which will be new territory - a great challenge. Thanks to all you who followed the story, left kudos or shared a comment - it meant the world to me.

**Author's Note:**

> I love alternate meeting stories. I know this has probably been done to death, but here is my take on it. I have some more ideas on how their relationship will develop - and hopefully it will continue to work with the Olicity Hiatus prompts. Thanks for reading.


End file.
